[] They are not being sold as a reason to watch. [32] She said of the show: In October 2008, Ayola announced that she would be departing from Holby City in order to have a second child, stating: "I've had a great time and I'll miss it. In October 2008, Ayola announced that she would be departing from Holby City in order to have a second child, stating: Ive had a great time and Ill miss it. 132.148.83.54 [7] Variety's David Rooney said of her performance: "In the film's most naturalistic turn, Ayola is a constant pleasure to watch. She stated: "The script made me laugh out loud when I read it. She could potentially return to the seaside town, so its not clear yet if Rakie Ayola will appear in the next series of Grace. How old is Rakie Ayola? See also Release Dates | Official Sites | Company Credits | Filming & Production | Technical Specs Ayola was born in Cardiff, Wales in May 1968, to a Sierra Leonean mother and a Nigerian father. Ayola is an advocate of increased ethnic representation in the entertainment industry, and in 2001 founded her own production company, producing the short film Persephone's Playground for the Cannes Film Festival in order to further her campaign. So, who is Rakie Ayola and what might you have seen her in? Plays Kyla Tyson. If you havent been nominated for a Bafta before 52 youre not meant to be nominated and take the Bafta home. That was when, as confirmed by the. This brand new story makes way for new characters with the cast, including Cardiff-born, Bafta-winning actress Rakie Ayola (Anthony), who takes centre stage alongside serving as executive producer. Describing her motivation, she states: "I am not an overtly political person. Ayola has appeared in television shows including Black Mirror, Noughts + Crosses, Doctor Who, Silent Witness and EastEnders, a number of Shakespearean theatrical performances and feature films such as Great Moments in Aviation, The i Inside and Sahara. Shooting took place in the area between Cardiff and Port Talbot (Youre going west along beautiful coastline that rarely gets filmed. [26], In 2020, she won the Best Female Actor in a Play award at the Black British Theatre Awards for her performance in On Bear Ridge for National Theatre Wales and the Royal Court. She has a collection of Troll dolls which she keeps under her bath. So it didn't find its audience, and of course you can't force people to watch it, so if it wasn't going to get a third series then fine, that happens all the time. [11] The pair married in May 2004, and Ayola gave birth to their first daughter, Tansy, in July that year. Ayola credits her chemistry with co-star Akim Mogaji, who played her on-screen husband Luke Roberts, for winning her her audition. She went on to play troubled nurse Kyla Tyson in Holby City from 2006-8, who endured domestic violence and alcoholism. 22 48 1,389 Show this thread Rakie Ayola Still Menopausal @RakieAyola This industry has never been easy for Ayola; her transition from Cardiff to London had in some ways mired her career. Christine is the matriarch of the Rees family. But I had this dramatic vein, so leaned into that.. [11] She states of this: "Shakespeare keeps coming my way. In July last year, Ayola played Gee Walker in BBC Ones TV movie Anthony. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 1968-05-. Rakie was born in May 1968, making her 52-years-old. Rakie Ayola talks about attending her first BAFTA Awards and what it was like playing Gee Walker in Anthony. [15] In 1996, Ayola appeared at the National Theatre in Helen Edmundson's adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. Played by Aneurin Barnard. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. I was so bad with the budget that I just said yes to everything and then had to worry about how to pay for things at the end. In 2008, Ayola offered her support to the Action for Southern Africa campaign Dignity! The charity works to connect children and families living with neurofibromatosis type one. [48] She has expressed a desire to visit Brazil and Argentina, and has "a romantic notion of travelling around Europe in a camper van". Ayolas first film appearance was in the 1993 film Great Moments in Aviation, written by Jeanette Winterson, in which she starred alongside Jonathan Pryce and John Hurt. But last summer I started thinking it would be really nice not to have to look for a job every couple of weeks. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Rakie Ayola. This is a list of characters from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, ordered by the year in which they made their final appearance. I just burst into tears.. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Rakie explains: The writer, Pete McTighe, and I were in the early stages of another project. As far as I'm aware, the BBC only allowed it to be nominated for that one award, for the graphics. [21] In 2008, she starred in the Doctor Who episode "Midnight", playing an intergalactic Hostess alongside David Tennant's Tenth Doctor. While her character is good at her job, shes not the stereotypical police officer. Her new character, Christine, has no connection at all to DS Holland. [8] Her subsequent film credits are romantic comedy The Secret Laughter of Women, set in Nigeria and starring Colin Firth,[15] thriller The i Inside, filmed in Sully Hospital, Cardiff, and starring Ryan Phillippe,[13] and Sahara, filmed in Morocco whilst Ayola was pregnant with her first child, starring Penlope Cruz. Rakie Ayola was born on 11 May 1968 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 52 years old? In 2017, Ayola took over the role of Hermione Granger in the West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Download 'Don't Speak' on iTunes. Yes, eagle-eyed viewers, Rakie Ayola was also in The Pact series 1 playing a different character! [23] In 2009, Ayola starred in the CBBC musical comedy My Almost Famous Family. A local reverend, Bob Morgan, allowed them to make use of his church hall for rehearsals. You suddenly realise youre doing exactly the thing they asked of you even though you didnt plan to. Rakie Ayola stars in The Pact series 2 as new character Christine and, yes, if youre wondering, she was in series one as someone else! She has spoken critically of the way the BBC treated the soap, moving it around the schedules and declining to commission a second series. "[44] She placed 40th in 2008, with the Western Mail noting: "the last 15 years have only seen Rakie become more beautiful and more successful". Describing her motivation, she states: I am not an overtly political person. Ayola was nominated and shortlisted for the 'Female Performance in TV' award in the 2006 Screen Nation Awards, for her role as Kyla Tyson in Holby City. Ayolas first job was selling jeans on Bessemer Road Market in Cardiff. The Pact actress Rakie Ayola has opened up about the possibility of a second season. The mum-of-two went on to appear in episodes of Black Mirror, Stella and Silent Witness. Discover Rakie Ayolas Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Rakie Olufunmilayo Ayola (born May 1968) is a Welsh actress, best known for her role as Kyla Tyson in the BBC medical drama Holby City. Rakie Ayola Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family. The little girl in me went: Youve actually been dreaming about this for ever.. In 2021, she won a BAFTA for her role in the BBC One drama Anthony.[2]. Following youth theatre and amateur dramatics, she studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She previously explained: I made the decision purely because I was pregnant, but I wasnt really ready to put down the character of Kyla. It's an unusual move, but, she says, having connected with a group of performers of colour who have her back, she's learned. [21] She has a collection of Troll dolls which she keeps under her bath. She appeared in Holby City from its eighth to eleventh series, from 2006 to 2008, and in 2009 starred in the CBBC musical comedy My Almost Famous Family. In her latest role, Ayola plays DS Holland, the senior detective investigating the death of Jack Holland. [29] After a series of three meetings, a year after the birth of her first child, she agreed to assume the role of Kyla, despite being "nervous about signing such a long contract",[21] stating: "I've been someone who's loved the uncertainty of acting. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Ayola studied at Windsor Clive Primary and Glan Ely High School, and was a member of the Orbit Youth Theatre, South Glamorgan Youth Theatre, South Glamorgan Youth Choir and the National Youth Theatre of Wales. Summarize this article for a 10 years old. Your IP: Rakie Olufunmilayo AyolaListen (born May 1968) is a Welsh actress known for her work in theatre and television. [7], Ayola began her career in the theatre, performing in a number of Shakespearean plays including Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice and Macbeth. And then he came back with The Pact series two and said we want you to play the lead and have an exec producer role. Ayola has stated that it was Barbra Streisands performance in Hello, Dolly! She says it occurred within two years of the events shown, so were still very raw, and that Christine is dealing with her adult children one of whom is due to be married and so theres anticipation of festivities. [] I also like the fact that there were a lot of politically-correct boxes being ticked, but the writers and producer havent been restrained by that. Ayola describes herself as "optimistic, cynical, lazy, naive [and] honest". Ayola attributes her ability to carry these roles with such emotional high stakes, whether fictional or biographical, to the dramatic vein she found at drama school: I dont know why, I seem to be able to breathe life into these women whove got this tragic story, all this grief and loss. She also refers to the death of her adoptive mother, Olive, when she was 14, as a moment that has perhaps allowed her to access those depths of grief. It was my second home!, In her later years at school, when asked what she wanted to do for a living, she would say: I want to act. Her careers officer suggested she consider being a drama teacher instead. Your IP: Between 2003 and 2008 she starred in Holby City and played Olivia Lennox in season five of Shetland. Currently taking BBC One by storm - episodes 5 and 6 air next . "[24] She has also been cast in the film Dredd. The actress first rose to fame when she bagged the lead of the 1993 Jeanette Winterson screenplay Great Moments in. In 2004, Rakie married fellow actor Adam Smethurst who has starred in TV dramas including Casualty and Marple and Lewis. Sign up for Bustle UK's twice-weekly newsletter, featuring the latest must-watch TV, moving personal stories, and expert advice on the hottest viral buys. [3] They met again two years later, during a production of Twelfth Night, and went on to become a couple. On a trip to New York, she found the DVD in a shop. She first rose to prominence in the lead role of the 1993 Jeanette Winterson screenplay Great Moments in Aviation. CREDITS. The drama was based on the real-life 2005 murder of Anthony Walker in a racist attack in Liverpool. We have a mix of boys and girls, one character whos mixed-raced and deaf but were not going to be restrained by any of that. When I saw this woman singing and dancing in a big hat, I thought: I want to do what she is doing sing and dance in the street and for it to be OK, Ayola says. Ayola. We had got on very well coming out of the first series. The Pact series 2 episode 5 review five things we want to know [Spoilers], The Pact series 2 episode 4 review: five burning questions we need answered, The Pact series 2 episode 3 review: five burning questions after that wedding, The Pact star Rakie Ayola praised over reaction to loaded question on BBC Breakfast, The Pact series 2 episode 2 review: five things we need to know, The Pact series 2 episode 1 review: Five burning questions we want answering. For a full list of present characters, see list of characters from EastEnders . She had previously appeared in Holby City's sister show Casualty,[9] and had made an appearance in Holby City's fifth series as patient Marianne Lawson. Jack. Learn How rich is She in this year and how She spends money? She has also worked in theatre, film and television, appearing in a number of Shakespearean theatrical performances. Ayola describes herself as optimistic, cynical, lazy, naive [and] honest. The BBC drama sees Ayola, who has lived in London since the 1990s, return to Wales, where she was brought up on a council estate in Cardiff by her Sierra Leonean birth mothers cousin and his Welsh wife. [] It left everyone very, very miserable, and very dispirited, and it made me angry. [41] She received Honourable Mention for the same role the following year,[42] and was shortlisted again in 2008. HUSBAND : Actor, Adam Smethhurst. Ayola told Radio Times: She probably wasnt a brilliant bobby on the beat; she would have done what she needed to do, but thats not where her strengths are, she said on the Radio Times, Her strengths are in detecting understanding the kind of person that would commit a crime and why they would do it, then looking into that.. In 2001, she became a presenter of the BBC Wales arts programme Double Yellow, alongside poet Owen Sheers and performance artist Mark Rees. Series 3 of Grace is currently in production but at the end of the last Brighton-based series Rakie Ayolas character Alison Vosper departed for a new job in London. I liked that. Performance & security by Cloudflare. [] They are not being sold as a reason to watch. She believes that her career would have taken her in a different direction were she not of ethnic origin, stating: I could not have played any of the roles I have played on TV if I was white [] I am very aware of where the glass ceiling is and its still very low and expectations are still very low. 22 May 2021. Its a cause very close to Ayolas heart, as Vanity Fair reports, her eldest daughter, Tansy, was diagnosed with incurable neurofibromatosis type one when she was eight. Period, aiming to provide affordable sanitary protection to Zimbabwean women.[40]. But the way the BBC axed it mid-series was unforgivable. [3] She was raised by her mother's cousin and his wife in Ely, Cardiff. She went on to appear in Gone With the Wind sequel Scarlett, and star in Welsh soap opera Tiger Bay. It was at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama that Ayola would find what she calls her dramatic bone. Ayola has an interest in travel, and has visited Peru and Kenya among other destinations. The Financial Times reports that Ayola attended Windsor Clive Primary and Glan Ely High School in Cardiff before studying at the Welsh College of Music and Drama (now known as the Royal Welsh College.) It's an unusual move, but, she says, having connected with a group of performers of colour who have her back, she's learned to dream bigger. [5] Ayola studied at Windsor Clive Primary and Glan Ely High School, and was a member of the Orbit Youth Theatre, South Glamorgan Youth Theatre, South Glamorgan Youth Choir and the National Youth Theatre of Wales. She received Honourable Mention for the same role the following year, and was shortlisted again in 2008. 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